Reflection
by yusahana6323
Summary: He found it strange that the one he had always been able to read was now reading him, and seeing through him... and somehow, able to speak the words he wanted to hear, merely for comfort's sake. One-shot.


"You...!"

Ludwig said nothing - he felt he couldn't. He had expected Orpherus to take issue with being told to back off, but for the Görz heir to explode in this way was completely unexpected. Orpherus's hands, tightening into his cravat, began cutting off his air. For a moment, he began to think Orpherus was going to kill him for simply suggesting such a thing.

"Are you telling me that, for the sake of your pride, you'd throw your life away?!"

There was no other way. He didn't know where his family was. He didn't know whether or not they were safe, or if they knew the situation. And the right thing to for he, Ludwig, to do would be to end his life to protect his family if it became necessary to do so. It wasn't about pride. Not his own, anyway.

"Are you in a position to say so, Orpherus?" he asked, keeping his voice level. "It is your pride that you value. That is your strong point." He closed his eyes for a moment. Seeing that light in those blue eyes… it hurt to look at, more than the fists digging into his collar hurt. "There is no need to be so upset. It has nothing to do with you. It's best if you just leave it."

"What do you think your life is? Once you lose it, you can never get it back!"

Orpherus's angry face and voice overwhelmed him as he was roughly pushed back. Some of his hair fell forward, curtaining a sliver of his eyes. It wouldn't help. Orpherus was the only one that could see it... how pathetic he was right now. He could keep a face that would fool everyone else, but those blue eyes pierced straight through the façade. He felt them probe his inner being. Perhaps Orpherus wasn't aware of how deep he was seeing, but Ludwig knew.

What could he say? Nothing that wouldn't make Orpherus any less upset, certainly. He suddenly became very aware of the trembling of the blonde's hands. They were still clenched tightly in Ludwig's cravat. An odd sense of relief assailed him. Orpherus, at least, was very real. That overwhelming passion he possessed was very real. It was the greatest comfort Ludwig had felt in days. Orpherus hadn't changed, and to feel his intense concern directed towards the duke-to-be was too relieving.

He didn't want Orpherus to let go. He didn't want those passionate eyes to leave. But they had to. He had to get Orphrerus to leave. If, due to him, Orpherus was criminalized simply out of his loving, concerned nature, Ludwig would never forgive himself. He didn't want Orpherus mixed up in this. He didn't want to extinguish that brilliant flame's potential.

"If you... resort to that, what would everyone think? Have you thought of that?!"

He couldn't bear that look... that expression so clear on the blonde's face. But he welcomed the raw emotions. They were all that kept him holding on.

"It's true that if I were my old self, I would probably think the same way you do now."

Yes… they had always been so similar. He wondered if Orpherus ever knew just how much in common they had. But what Orpherus didn't know that was his one virtue, his one true strength, was what made him so brilliant… made him into a person Ludwig could never be, no matter how much he tried.

"But now, I believe that no matter how painful and difficult it is, it is only through living that we can open a path!"

How he had longed to hear such words. Since when had Orpherus been his sole reason for continuing on? Hearing such immature things, seeing such hope… he had to try very hard to not smile at the absurdity of it all. No… only a fool like Orpherus would continue to be this way in a situation like this.

His inner smile faded. They had always been so similar… but like a reflection in a mirror, there was always something different. The person on the other side could never know what their opposite truly thought, truly felt… what the other person had experienced.

He wondered: if Orpherus had lived his life, would he still be the way he was? Or would they be the exact same person?

"And I know that my friends are there!"

It wasn't difficult to miss the meaning in those words. He had to make him go. If Orpherus stayed, he would get caught. For his concern, for his feelings, Ludwig would always be grateful. He closed his eyes to make sure Orpherus's face was imprinted on the back of his eyelids. Confirming so, he raised a hand and carefully pulled Orpherus's grip free. The Görz heir resisted and for a moment, Ludwig thought he would be stubborn, continuing to hold on as if his grip would change something. But, slowly, almost resignedly, Orpherus let Ludwig separate himself.

A moment of silence, and Ludwig tried to read the emotions glimmering in Orpherus's sapphire eyes. It was too painful, so he crossed the room to the window, keeping his back to them.

"I do not understand such a naive way of thought," he said as a final goodbye.

"Lui..."

A hesitation, as if more was meant to be said after Naoji's voice faded away, but instead he heard the rustle of Orpherus's cape. It sounded angry. The blonde's footsteps echoed out the door, fading away down the hall. He hardly remembered exactly what he said to Naoji, but after a long pause, he heard the Japanese man leave as well. The door clicked shut, and he was alone.

It was better this way. He let his amethyst eyes slide shut. If it came down to him ending his life... he found he didn't mind the possibility so much anymore. Since Orpherus – his mirror image, his reflection – would champion his name, he had no need for concern.


End file.
